Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Backstab (5)
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Clarice and Yuri had first come face-to-face just a few days earlier.
It was the very day Yuri had leaked false information to Gilbert.
To wrap things up perfectly, Yuri and Arin had staged an attack on Squad 2 and fled.
While the remaining squad members handled cleanup, Clarice took a few fast runners skilled in tracking and pursued their trail.
Clarice's goal was to uncover the hideout where Squad 1 was holed up.
If that proved impossible, their aim was at least to narrow the search area by pinpointing their location.
To that end, they planned to avoid combat as much as possible and continue the pursuit without overextending.
But that was before...
"Huff... huff."
Clarice dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
'Splitting the squad... was the wrong call.'
The pursuit team consisted of three, including himself.
But midway through, the trail they'd been following split into two branches.
'They anticipated we'd follow and split up on purpose.'
So Clarice had gone left alone, while the other two headed right.
And that choice had led to this situation.
Clarice bit his lip hard.
'This bastard... left the trail on purpose to lure me into a counterattack.'
Yuri Holland had appeared out of nowhere while they were tracking.
The fact that he'd struck as if lying in wait proved this entire scenario was a trap set by Yuri Holland.
Panting heavily, Clarice looked up at Yuri.
Unlike himself, not a drop of sweat on the guy.
He had no choice but to admit it.
'He's strong.'
Yuri Holland was truly strong.
His full-force punch hadn't even grazed him.
'If I'd had my full armor... would it have been different?'
He pondered it, but he suspected the outcome would have been much the same.
Clang-.
The silver gauntlet trembled from his clenched fist.
Gritting his teeth, Clarice glared at Yuri and growled.
"Are you toying with me? You could end this anytime—why haven't you?"
His own attacks hadn't landed, but Yuri's could strike at any moment.
Yuri had even launched the surprise attack.
Yet he hadn't landed a decisive blow.
He was handling it lightly, like playing or sparring.
That wounded Clarice's pride.
Yuri shrugged.
"Not toying. Just... kinda fun."
"Hah?"
Was this punk playing word games?
Same difference!
Clarice let out a hollow laugh laced with that meaning, and Yuri waved it off.
"Ah, don't misunderstand. Wasn't what you think. I scrapped with another fist-fighter before you, and you felt different somehow. Comparing was kinda fun. Plus... your condition's interesting."
"What're you talking about? My condition?"
"The other guy made his fists feel like perfect weapons. You're... lacking? Like, not really using fists so much as..."
Yuri pondered deeply, then smacked his palm with his fist.
"Ah! Right, body! It's your body! You're not a fist-user—you're someone who uses fists too!"
"......?!"
"Hmm, and your habits are kinda weird. Why throw your body into attacks you should dodge? Wait, is it because what you trained in isn't bare-knuckle fighting?"
"......"
Clarice couldn't help but admire Yuri, even as an enemy, for reading his specialties and habits from just one fight.
Meeting Yuri's intrigued gaze, Clarice said quietly.
"My name is Clarice Ban."
"So?"
"...Never heard of the Ban family?"
"Do I need to have? Man, you cradle pricks are always bragging about your houses."
Clarice sighed at Yuri's sudden prickliness.
"Sigh, it's armor combat."
"Armor combat?"
"Ban knights don't wield swords. They master body techniques using full-body armor instead."
Ban family knights, who shunned swords.
While other knights used metal full-body armor as mere support, the Bans treated it as their primary weapon.
Yuri's eyes lit up at the explanation.
"Ah, no wonder you charge in tanking hits instead of dodging—it's a habit from deflecting attacks with your armor."
"...Yeah."
Clarice sighed again after answering.
"Now that that's settled, enough chit-chat. Finish it. I won't beg for mercy after defeat."
With that, Clarice tossed his armband to Yuri.
The 9-1 armband.
Yuri caught it, thought for a moment, then grinned and tossed it back.
Clarice caught the returning armband and stared at Yuri in confusion.
"What... does this mean?"
"I was just needing someone, and you look perfect for it."
"......?"
"Do one job with me."
"Job?"
"You become my inside man over there."
"...What does that mean?"
"What else? You're on my side, but operating there—snag info, do what I say, that kinda thing."
Clarice scoffed.
"You're telling me to play spy?"
"Spot on."
"And why should I?"
To Clarice's mocking question, Yuri replied with two words.
"Full-body armor."
"What?"
"Bet that's what you need most right now, huh?"
"......"
It was true.
Knights among the riders couldn't fully unleash their potential without full-body armor.
While other knights were outputting only 80% without it,
Clarice was at 40-50%.
So full-body armor was his most desperate need.
Clarice eyed Yuri suspiciously.
"You're saying you can get me full-body armor?"
"Precisely, not armor itself, but custom gear crafting rights. Winner squad gets one per member, right?"
Of course he knew.
That was exactly why Clarice craved victory.
Seeing his eyes waver, Yuri smiled warmly.
"No winner points, but I can give you crafting rights."
"You're handing over your crafting rights to me?"
Yuri's face soured.
"You nuts? Why would I give you mine?"
"...Are you mocking me now?"
As Clarice glared angrily, Yuri pulled something from his pocket.
Clarice's eyes widened at the sight.
'That's...?'
What Yuri drew out was an armband.
With completely unexpected numbers on it.
"1-4? Where'd you get that?"
The armband clearly read 1-4.
'Squad 1 only had three members?'
So where did this come from?
Yuri answered casually.
"Went and asked, they gave it."
"Just... gave it? The black ops guys?"
"Yep."
Yuri dangled the 1-4 armband before the dazed Clarice.
"My crafting rights are mine."
"......"
"But if you join my squad and we win together, you'll get your own, right?"
"That's... possible?"
"No rule against swapping squad members, is there?"
"......?!"
Clarice trembled as realization dawned from Yuri's words.
'Right, if my squad can't win... I just join one that can!'
Seeing the life return to Clarice's eyes, Yuri grinned.
"So, wanna work with me? Or not?"
Clarice answered without hesitation.
"What do I do first?"
* * *
Afterward, Clarice followed Yuri's orders, using Gilbert to frame Schurmann as the traitor.
Clarice had fanned the flames Yuri ignited.
As planned, internal fractures led to deserters, and he moved to the next phase.
[When deserters pop up, play it cool, then bail claiming you'll be their spy.]
But not everything went exactly as Yuri intended.
Clarice was supposed to declare himself a spy and leave, but Gunter's side proposed it first.
So Clarice leaked info about 'squad member swaps' as instructed and defected from Schurmann's camp.
Thereafter, he played double agent, ferrying info to Yuri as ordered.
The goal was simple.
Build trust steadily, then push for an elite squad via 'member swaps.'
Then, after securing the squad leader spot, rip the armband and wipe out the elite force—that was Clarice's final mission.
'It helped that Gunter handled a lot himself, making it smoother...'
Even so, Yuri Holland's judgment in predicting and exploiting the situation, turning it all to his advantage, was astonishing.
'Never thought it'd actually work.'
Variables arose midway, but it ended up as Yuri planned.
Clarice felt not just shock, but fear, toward Yuri, who had orchestrated it all so predictably.
'Joining Yuri Holland... was the best choice.'
No regrets for Clarice.
He extended a hand to Yuri.
"Time to reward my efforts, yeah?"
"Of course."
Yuri smiled and handed over an armband from his pocket.
Swish-.
Clarice swapped out his 12-9 for the 1-4 without pause.
Arin and Poppi freaked out at the sight.
"W-What?! She's one of us?!"
"I'm... hungry!"
"Yeah, my secret agent."
"M-My god!"
"I'm hungry!"
Arin, eyes bulging, finally noticed the 1-4 and yelled.
"What the heck? 1-4? Where'd you get that?"
"Went and asked, they gave it."
"Whoa... always rushing off alone. For that?"
"You thought I was joyriding?"
"Yeah, no... wait! Why didn't you tell us?!"
"I'm hungry!"
Yuri picked his ear amid Arin and Poppi's protests.
"Ever hear you gotta fool your allies first to fool the enemy?"
Whoosh-.
Yuri blew earwax off his pinky.
Arin and Poppi hissed in annoyance.
Ignoring them, Yuri addressed the stunned crowd.
"Alright, anyone with a 9 on their armband, time to bow out."
The ex-Squad 9 members, realizing their position at his dismissive wave, glared daggers at Clarice.
Schurmann among them.
'This... ends so pointlessly...'
All his plans crumbled meaninglessly.
No, he hadn't even gotten a proper shot.
Beyond absurdity, utter defeat.
But what could he do?
Rules were rules—Squad 9 was wiped out.
Grind-.
Led by the fuming Schurmann, the ex-Squad 9 members swallowed their rage and retreated.
Gunter, still standing dazed till then,
shook off the shock of betrayal from his trusted ally, biting his lip.
'Not... over yet. Pull yourself together, Gunter Irons!'
Half his force was gone pointlessly, but that meant half remained.
'Still winnable!'
Gunter rallied.
"We're ten strong, they're three... no, four! We can take 'em! Snap out of it!"
His shout roused Squad 7's members, who nodded fiercely.
'Yeah, we cherry-picked talent too!'
'Never know till we fight!'
Squad 1 was formidable, sure, but they were elites sifted from Schurmann's camp.
Seemed winnable.
As Squad 7's members steeled themselves,
"Wait a sec!"
Yuri's booming shout deflated their budding resolve.
He flashed a grin at the flinching Squad 7.
"Think about it. Say you beat me here somehow... you really think you can win the whole thing?"
Yuri wagged his finger side to side.
"Nope! You'll just infight till you burst. Right?"
No rebuttal—it rang true.
Silence prevailed.
Yuri tsked pityingly at the crowd.
"Tsk tsk, easy road right there, but you wanna take the hard, painful one?"
"......"
"Listen up. I'll show you the easy, quick, comfy path."
Yuri pointed his thumb at Clarice's 1-4 armband.
"You think I only snagged that one? Nah, I'm not that stingy."
"......?"
Question marks popped over heads as he spoke.
An exclamation mark flared over distant Schurmann's.
'No way that guy!'
As Schurmann's eyes widened,
Six armbands filled Yuri's hands from his bosom.
"1-5 for 50k, 1-6 for 60k, 1-7 for 70k, 1-8 for 80k, 1-9 for 90k, and... 1-10 for 100k points!"
Yuri fanned the six armbands with a smile.
"Step right up to this easy chariot to victory! First riders get the bargain price!"
"......?!"
"Life's first-come, first-served, folks?"
Yuri drove it home with friendly warmth.
Squad 7's pupils quaked like an earthquake at the six dangling armbands.